Lions hope to finish strong again

With eight home runs last season, senior first baseman Nick Marti is expected to lead the Lions in homers this year.

With eight home runs last season, senior first baseman Nick Marti is expected to lead the Lions in homers this year.

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With eight home runs last season, senior first baseman Nick Marti is expected to lead the Lions in homers this year.

With eight home runs last season, senior first baseman Nick Marti is expected to lead the Lions in homers this year.

Lions hope to finish strong again

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Spring’s baseball team got as far as the regional quarterfinal series of the playoffs last season, the furthest it has gone passed the first round since 2004.

Losing just a few key players to graduation, Lions coach Doug Rush believes the team can make another late season run to extend its 2011 campaign.

“It’s a matter of all of the guys hitting well at the right time,” Rush said. “It’s always our goal to play our best baseball during the second half of the season.”

The Lions entered this week with a 10-5 overall record despite not putting together a winning streak before beginning the district season against Tomball Tuesday. Rush still felt good about the way Spring ended the preseason and said the momentum should carry over.

“Our pitching and defense has really held us together so far,” Rush said. “We have real good sticks at the top of the order with veteran players. We have to hit the ball in play more with the guys hitting at the bottom of the order.”

Veteran players Dustin Luna, Nick Marti, Brandon George and Orlando Quiroga lead off the batting lineup.

The biggest losses were starting pitcher Mitchell Taylor, who is now in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system, and slugger Josh Duran.

The Lions will miss the power of the school’s record-breaking home run hitter Duran, Rush said. Marti had the second most home runs with eight last year and had two long balls coming into this week.

“We are not a home run team like we were last year,” Rush said. “We are more about hitting for average.”

As for pitching, the Lions have several starting hurlers this season.

“We don’t have an ace like we did with Mitchell; we have a few guys that have done a great job so far,” Rush said. “It works out well because we now have the rotation to be successful in a three-game playoff series.”

Troyal Yosko has great movement resulting in a lot of ground balls, Rush said.

“We have a good chance of winning every game he pitches,” he added.

Luna is a power pitcher with a slider and a curveball in his arsenal. Sophomore Thaddius Lowry will also start this season.

The always tough District 13-5A season should come down to the wire again this year. The usual five teams will most likely fight for the four playoffs spots at the end of the season, according to Rush.

“I would say that Klein Collins is the favorite to win district right now and then you have Tomball, Klein and Klein Oak battling it out with us,” he explained. “Klein Forest is a lot better this year. Dekaney and Westfield are a lot better, too.”